Bernard Wientjes, president of the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (known as VNO-NCW) is the largest employers’ organisation in the Netherlands. VNO-NCW represents the common interests of Dutch businesses. During the general meeting of the NRTO (the Representative Council for Private Universities and Institutions for Education and Training) Wientjes expressed his opinion that he would like to see an important role for tailor-made education programmes to working professionals by privately funded educators. Therefore, he finds that the possibility for financing this type of education through the potential participants and the concept of “funding on request” requires further exploration. 

 

Wientjes feels that lifelong learning and combinations of learning and working should be encouraged and stimulated. Employers and employees in all industries will benefit from this. The importance of 'lifelong learning' is already great, but will grow rapidly in the coming years. Due to technological changes, the fact that the character of occupations change more and people work until an older age, updating skills and competences becomes more and more a necessity. Refresher courses and training may also be necessary to be able to work in another sector and to remain employable.

 

The purpose of funding on request is to create educational programmes that fit the needs of both employer and employee best. It means that the financing of the education is no longer arranged through the education providers but through the individual participant. He or she can spend the funding at the most suitable institute. This proposal deserves further consideration and elaboration according to Wientjes.

 

The education offered to working professionals needs a different approach than to that of fulltime students. It requires different methods, and often a different content that better reflects the knowledge and skills that employees already possess. According to Wientjes, privately funded education institutes are extremely qualified to deliver this type of education as they are already offering tailor made programmes based on the demands of the market. That is very attractive to people who are already in the labour market. According to Ria van’t Klooster, director of the NRTO, it is therefore not a coincidence that private trainers already have the majority of this market share. The annual turnover of private institutes is approximately € 3.5 billion and around 1.3 million people participate in privately funded educational programmes.

 

Wittenborg Business School hopes that this exploration will lead to the development of individual funding. This way students can chose the best possible education for him or her and decide where to spend their budget. Wittenborg would like to play a role in providing this type of education to workers in cooperation with companies and partners in and around Apeldoorn.

 

(NRTO and Wittenborg University)